


curious memories

by donutcats



Category: Dark Matter (TV)
Genre: M/M, five explores memories, it's from five's pov, one gets hurt, three pretends not to care
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-30
Updated: 2015-07-30
Packaged: 2018-04-11 23:43:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4457054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donutcats/pseuds/donutcats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The memory devices are smooth in her hands, as she turns them about, feeling the seams with her fingertips. </p><p>Five is curious.</p>
            </blockquote>





	curious memories

**Author's Note:**

> I really like the whole 'jumping into people's memories' from that one episode, that has yet to be touched on again, so I decided to play with it a bit, especially how Five reacts to the memories since it's never stated if she has thoughts of her own while experiencing them. 
> 
> also heavily implied one/three because I'm trash and there needs to be more fics for these two assholes.
> 
> (I blanked on a title and just went as literal as possible)

“We should make a watch schedule,” Five’s voice cuts through the quiet sound of the heart monitor, causing the few people in the room to look at her. Two arches an eyebrow, Six crosses his arms, Three scoffs.

She doesn’t know where Four is. He took off the second they stumbled back onto the Raza.

“For what? He’s not going anywhere.” Three says, in that tone that could never be mistaken for anyone else. Equal parts annoyance and amusement.

Five bristles, sits up straighter, squares her shoulders, the way she’s seen Two do countless times. She hopes she gives off the same vibe that Two manages, but she doubts it, if Three’s smirk is anything to go by.

“Because, One shouldn’t wake up alone. He’s going to regain consciousness sooner or later, and when he does, he should see someone else's face.” She crosses her arms, mirroring Six, chin tilted defiantly.

Three scoffs again, but this time there’s a laugh underlying it. “I am not acting as some sort of nurse whenever he decides to wake up.”

“I think it’s a good idea,” Two pipes up, her voice leaving no room for arguments.

Which of course means that Three tries to find some room, tries to wiggle around and find some give, “Shouldn’t we take a vote? I vote on having a vote!”

Six, who’s been silent for the conversation, immediately answers, “I wouldn’t mind sitting with him for about an hour.” Five smiles at him, and he returns it.

Two makes an agreeable noise. “Then that settles it. 3 against 1. I’ll take first shift.” She grabs the lone chair in the infirmary and drags it across the floor, sitting in it once it’s close enough to where One is lying.

“Three can go next!”  
  
“ _What?_ ”

Five blinks at him, “It only makes sense that we go in order of our names. That way there’s no confusion. Imagine, ‘Six goes first and Four goes second, then Two is third.’ See? Confusing.”

With a growl of frustration, Three storms out of the infirmary, the sound of Two’s steady voice following down the hall. “I’ll see you in an hour!”

 

-

Five stops in the infirmary's doorway, slinking back to hide behind the doorframe. Two told her that Three actually showed up for his ‘bullshit shift’ as he called it, but hearing and _seeing_ were two different things.

Three’s sitting in the same metal chair that Two dragged over earlier, his feet propped up on the corner of the hospital bed they wheeled out of the isolation chamber, his arms crossed over his middle, and he’s talking.

“- and honestly it was worth it just for the look on Boss’ face.” He scrubs a hand down his own face, the smug grin and laugh melting away, as he leans back and sighs. “Really though, you can’t just try and play the hero and get shot. I mean, it was funny to see Two’s very confused face, but I still had to pick you up because you were _shot_. And you can’t die,” Three’s boots thumb against the floor as he sits up, “I’ve had my share of emotional trauma for the year.”

Five puts a hand to her mouth, looks away, remembers that lady Sarah and the way Three looked at her.

“Next year? Feel free to put yourself in as many life and death situations as you want.” Then it’s quiet, and Five peeks around the corner again, curious.

His elbows are on his knees, and his folded hands are pressed against his mouth. He’s looking at One, laying in the bed with his heavily bandaged side.

Five swallows her curiosity, her questions, and finally rounds the corner. Loudly. Her boot ‘accidentally’ knocking against the wall as she bounces into the room.

“Hey Three, I’m here to relieve you of duty.” She stops at the foot of One’s bed, hands behind her back, rocking on her heels the slightest. Trying to be as casual as she can without being suspicious

Three still narrows his eyes, frowns at her, and she chews on the inside of her cheek because he can’t know that she was eavesdropping, surely.

“Where’s the ninja?” He asks instead, and the word relieved doesn’t even cut it.

“He said he doesn’t see the point in it, and then went to his room.” Five shrugs, “So, here I am.”

He stands up, chair scraping against the floor with the force of his movement. “You’re telling me, I could have avoided all this by just going to my room?” A singular laugh, that one sound filled with annoyance. “That’s bullshit.”

“Yep,” She pops the p, shrugging again. “You can go hide in your room _now_ though, if you want.”

“I think I might!” Three says it like he’s accepting a challenge, and with a last glance at One, he’s once again stomping out of the room.

-

 

The memory devices are smooth in her hands, as she turns them about, feeling the seams with her fingertips.

Five is curious.

She knows she should probably ask the Android for help. But if she does, then the Android would definitely tell Two, and Two would not be happy about any of this.

Because it’s dangerous, and she shouldn’t do it alone, because there won’t be anyone to pull her back if something went wrong, because she hasn’t yet perfected the whole ‘pick and choose memories’ type of thing.

But she’s curious.

So Five grabs the metal examination table, drags it over to where One is still sleeping. She has about an hour, probably less, knowing how Six can be.

She hops onto the table, sticks the small devices (and really she needs to invent a name for them) to her temples, takes a deep breath, and activates them.

-

At first it all feels like a blur, dozens of memories trying to pull her in, but she resists, tries to focus on a specific person.

When she opens her eyes, she’s sitting at the mess hall table, a plate of actual food sitting in front of her. It’s not much, but it’s a lot more than she’s seen in well- she doesn’t actually know.

A hand claps her on the back and she jumps, before relaxing into the touch.

“Starting dinner without me. How rude,” Three slides in next to her, grinning as he steals something off her plate. Five finds herself smiling back, even as she tries to spear Three’s hand with her fork.

She wonders, absently, whose memory this is. As Three continues to talk, his usual snark clear in his voice, Five quickly ticks off Four, and Six. Neither one of them would allow him to talk to them like this.

“Why are you such an asshole,” She asks, mouth twisting as she moves her plate out of Three’s reach.

Three’s grin widens, showing teeth. “That’s like asking why the sky’s blue, Jace.”  
  
 _Well, that solves it._

“Not all skies are blue Marcus, remember that planet where the sky was _purple_ and the grass-

Three- no, _Marcus_ , it only feels right to call them by their pre-memory wipe names.

Marcus reaches past Jace, snagging another bite of food as Jace makes a noise. “The grass was blue and the sunset made everything look like it was on fire. Yeah, I remember. You can’t ever let me have my witty one liners, can you?”

Five’s own smile widens, matching Marcus’. “You know I can’t.”

She’s thrown into another memory in the blink of an eye.

This time, she’s in the infirmary, but instead of seeing her and One laying side by side like she was expecting, she’s looking at Marcus sitting on the examination table, irritation heating her chest.

“How did this happen?” Her voice comes out firm, hands on her hips.

Marcus shrugs, wincing at the motion. His shoulder is bloody, seeping through his shirt. “Crazy bastard with a knife. You know how things go.”

“No, I really don’t.” She moves to stand directly in front of him. “You jeopardized the mission. You could have gotten someone killed, or even yourself.” Marcus presses his lips together, obviously wanting to say something but deciding against it.

She continues, ignores the look he gives her, “I’m letting you off with a warning this time, but gods help me Marcus, next time I won’t be so lenient.”

“Portia,” Five looks over, catching Jace’s eye.

“Nothing you say can make this better. Actually, you might just make it worse. You’re _both_ getting off easy here.”

Without any warning, Jace punches Marcus in his injured shoulder, causing the latter to double over on the metal table, a sharp breath hissing through his teeth.

“What the _fuck_ -”

“That’s what you get for trying to be a hero!”

“If you didn’t play the victim, I wouldn’t have to play the hero!”

“I had it handled.” Jace says through clenched teeth, his knuckles still dusted with Marcus’ blood.

Marcus scoffs, fully straightens up now. “Of course you did. I’m sure the gun held to your head was all part of your plan.”

“Maybe it was.”

It’s like they both completely forgot that she was there, that Portia was standing right in front of them.

Five is trying to absorb this information, but Portia just feels exasperated, and Five gets the feeling that she’s used to this. Like this happens all the time.

The next time she blinks, she’s sitting in the passenger seat of the Marauder, slouching with her feet stretched out in front of her. When she looks to the side, she sees Six (Griffin, she reminds herself) piloting.

She hears Jace behind her, talking about something, but she can’t focus on any of the words. Whoever’s memory this is wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying at all.

“Oh my god, would you kindly shut the fuck up.” Five finds herself saying.

“I don’t think ‘kindly’ and the word ‘fuck’ go together that well.” Griffin adds, without looking away from his controls.

She growls- ok swearing, and now growling? She can safely assume she’s in one of Marcus' memories.

(She’s getting better at remembering their names instead of their numbers)

She growls in reply, causing Griffin to chuckle.

Jace hasn’t stopped talking. “I buy you a really cool gun, and you repay me by snapping at me. Wow.” She catches him zipping up a duffle bag out of the corner of her eye.

“Would you rather me buy your silence?”  
  
“Well I wouldn’t be opposed to-” The click of a gun’s safety flicking off stops him.

“Silence is real cheap, only costs one bullet.” Five absently holds the handgun, shrugging and throwing a grin over her shoulder. Jace frowns, and she can’t help but laugh.

“You wouldn’t shoot me.” His fingers are digging into the fabric of the bag that’s still in his lap.

It’s Griffin’s turn to laugh, as he sidles up next to the Raza. “You seem to forget the time he _did_ shoot you.”

“To be fair,” Marcus drawls, “it was a leg shot, and it was for the greater good.”

She’s still smiling as they all stand up and the door slides open. Jace swings the bag onto his shoulder, still glaring at Marcus.

Five drapes an arm across Jace, hooking it and crushing him against the side of her body. Jace doesn’t try very hard to shrug away from Marcus’ arm, and that just makes her grin.

“So,” she starts, in that tone that couldn’t be mistaken for anyone else, as they make their way down the winding hallways, “does this mean you’re mad at me?”

Jace rolls his eyes, knocks his side against Marcus’, “I’m always mad at you.”

She hears herself say, “Good,” in Three’s voice, as he turns his head, leans in, mouth still stretched in a smile pressing against the edge of One’s own laughing mouth.

And then she’s sitting up straight, sucking in deep breaths, her fingers curling on cool metal.

Five looks around, gingerly peels away the tech at her temples, as she notices with relief that she’s back in the infirmary with One lying in a bed next to her.

Speaking of.

One is awake, hooded eyes staring at her, arm wrapped around his middle. “Are you ok?” His voice is raspy, but he sounds genuinely concerned.

Five doesn’t trust her voice yet, so instead she nods, swinging her legs over the side of the table.

He winces as he tries to sit up, and Five shoots out a hand to steady him on instinct. “Do you know what happened? The last thing I remember,” One glances down at his blood soaked bandages, “is well, yeah, getting shot.”

Slipping off of the table, she perches on the edge of his bed. “Well, Three had to play at being the hero.” Five says it without thinking, a memory that followed her out, but it makes One chuckle.

“I’m not sure why, but that just seems really funny to me. Actually, I know why, Three being a hero. What a concept.”

“Yeah, what a concept.” Five tries to agree, but she can’t find the conviction in herself. “Let me go tell the others you’re awake, plus the Android should look at your bandages.”

One nods, thanking her for being around when he woke up before she leaves. He doesn’t mention the small pieces of technology sitting in a metal dish next to his bed.

He doesn’t ask about what she saw either, and even if he did she’s not sure she could tell him.

-

Two comes by first, along with the Android. They both check him over, the Android with her clinical hands, and Two with her pointed questions.

Both of them lacking bedside manner.

Six drops by next, patting Two on the shoulder as they pass each other in the door. He tells One that he’s glad he isn’t dead.

“Thank you, I think?”

They end up playing a game of cards as Five sits and watches, from her place on the metal table. She fiddles with components for a circuit board, her fingers moving without her having to look at what she’s doing.

Four literally stops by for a total of 5 minutes, saying that he just wanted to make sure One was really ok. He gives One a nod and small smile, before he’s leaving, off being mysterious again.

It’s when Three finally shows up, a handful of hours after everyone else has gotten their visits out of the way, that she feels like she should leave, give them privacy.

They're playing cards, One showing her what him and Six were playing. He’s a little put out that she’s a natural at poker. She pulls the pile of trinkets closer to her, beaming at her winnings, when the sound of the metal chair scraping against the floor startles her.

“Don’t mind me,” Three says, arms folded, “I’m just here so I can at least say I stopped by.”

One rolls his eyes, placing his cards down near his thigh. “I’m so glad you decided to grace me with your presence.”

Three snorts, “you should be.” He rubs at his mouth, looking at One like how he did when Five was eavesdropping, and One is looking back, like it’s some sort of challenge that Five isn’t privy to.

“I should get going.” She makes to hop off the examination table, but One’s hand on her knee stops her. She catches Three narrowing his eyes, before she’s looking over at One.

He has what Two calls his puppy dog face, when she thinks no one is listening to her mumble to herself. Five agrees with her, it’s kind of hard to disagree with, even when you want to. She thinks Two has a will stronger than iron if she’s been able to say no to One’s puppy face.

“You don’t have to. I’ve actually, been having a lot of fun hanging out with you.” He says it like he wasn’t expecting it, like he never could see himself having fun with her. Maybe he couldn’t, at times Five feels like the only people that enjoy her are Six and Two.

Three kicks the edge of the bed, making One glare at him. “Let the kid do whatever she’s gotta do. She can’t be holed up in here with you all day. Just ‘cause you don’t have a life, doesn’t mean that she doesn’t.”

Five hops over Three’s leg that’s braced against the frame of the bed. “I’ll be back later,” she promises One, because he looks like he rather anything than be alone with Three.

One mumbles a, “yeah, alright,” in reply as she passes by. She pauses outside the doorway as she hears him ask Three, “are you mad at me?”

His voice has an edge to it, like he’s annoyed he’s asking this, but Five swears she hears something else, like he really wants to know.

The metal sings as Three kicks at it again. “I’m always mad at you.”


End file.
